The walleye spawn is well underway on Lake Nipissing despite a late spring and ice off.

The Ministry of Natural Resources says walleye were gathering this spring at spawning shoals while the lake was still ice covered waiting for the appropriate water temperature of between 4.5 and 5 C to spawn.

“In Lake Nipissing, walleye started to spawn last weekend (May 5),” ministry spokeswoman Jolanta Kowalski said in an e-mail. “With water temperatures warming quickly, the spawn will occur quickly so the majority of the fish should have completed spawning prior to the season opener.”

The walleye fishing season opens on Lake Nipissing next weekend, although it was still not clear of ice as of Friday.